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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. court — of law
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. plane — a tool
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. present — a gift
  9. court — for sport
  10. dip — to sink
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. court — of a king
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. kid — child
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. shower — rain
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. kid — to tease
  21. present — there
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. present — the time now
  24. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com